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Why be a 'Prepper'?
Many people get the wrong idea about preppers. The term comes from 'preparation', which simply means to get ready for something. We can prepare for a party, a picnic, a trip, visitors, or anything else. Preparing is a good idea in life. We can prepare for tough times with savings, food, and other supplies if we foresee a loss of income. This can be attributed to a job loss or loss of hours if we work for someone else, or a loss in business during slow times if we work for ourselves.
The term 'prepper' is usually associated with people who go to extremes to prepare for a collapse in society, the financial system, civil or traditional war, or natural disasters. Although this is a good idea, the term prepper shouldn't solely associated with 'extreme preppers'.
What should we prepare for?
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I've been predicting tough times for years. So far we've had a few recessions and a few close calls with war. Natural disasters have occurred many times, are occurring, and will occur in the future. Too many people have become very sick and died when they ran out of food and clean water during natural disasters.
Recent and devastating natural disasters include: New Orleans hurricane in 2005, Fukushima earthquake and resulting Tsunami in 2011, Sumatra Tsunami (Boxing Day Tsunami) in 2004, and many more. Thousands (some in the tens of thousands) of people died in these disasters, and many of those deaths were the result of starvation and dehydration.
Preparing for natural disasters shouldn't be the only issue to prepare for. Unexpected job loss, crash of financial system, civil uprising or outright civil war, and other subjects should be in mind.
How do we prepare?
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First of all, think about what your family NEEDS to simply SURVIVE! Tablets, computers, blenders, ovens, and the like could hamper your preparation plans. However, remember sports as a way to stay healthy and provide some entertainment.
Remember, the government CANNOT guarantee they can help you. Governments are telling people to prepare ahead of time and have been telling people to prepare for the last few years. The governments ADMIT they cannot help you.
Step 1. MAKE A PLAN
You Cannot (I repeat, cannot) properly prepare unless you make a plan. The phrase, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail" comes to mind with a slight adaptation. "If you don't plan to live, you plan to die".
If you're not sure how to start your plan, refer to this website for help.
Step 2: Start NOW. A disaster can happen any time, without warning. Tornadoes, hurricanes, and civil uprisings MAY give you SOME advanced warning (tornadoes can be immediate or you could get a couple days warning from meteorologists) but earthquakes, meteors, and war may give you no warning at all.
Even if you do get warning about a disaster coming, EVERYONE will be out getting food and supplies and stores will run out! What do you do then?
Step 3: Find a safe place to go. Some disasters you can ride out at home. Some you can't. Having stuff in your home is a great idea, but make sure there's somewhere else you can go. I am planning a 'bug out' in the bush. More about that later.
The point is, you don't want to be in your home if its not safe to be there. You want another place you can easily get to that no one else knows about in case of civil uprising, which could be the result of desperation after a disaster occurred.
Step 4: Don't tell others about your plans. Simply put, keep your mouth shut about your plans. It's okay to tell people you're storing some stuff and suggest they do the same, but you could end up with hundreds of people at trying anything to get your stuff. They're desperate, and some will be willing to kill for your stuff. Don't put your family at risk, prep quietly.
Step 5: Don't forget water, seeds, basic tools, medicines and other medical supplies, and a solar panel if you keep your plans on a device. Put all those things in a large tub with a lid. That makes it easier to move if you need to leave your home.
What are my plans?
I did say to keep your plans to yourself. I'm doing that too. I have several files with different seeds, planting instructions, tools list, foods to get and store, medical supplies including medicines, alternative medicines, and videos of advanced prepping stuff. I'm about to start getting supplies for making my own fuel, a rocket stove, as well as other stuff I can use in the bush. It has taken a couple hundred hours for me to make my lists and get my videos. It doesn't have to take you that long.
I have the plans to make a shelter out of logs and dirt. I can do a basic shelter in about a day. Give me a week and I can have a really good shelter and lots of set up. In the first month I can be making fuel for my truck.
Conclusion
ANY prepping you do is good. You don't have to plan for long term survival right now. Start small. Store canned goods, preserves, and water, and make sure you have some basic tools and medical supplies and medicines.
Your family's survival may depend on YOU. Don't delay, start now. Don't stop preparing until the disaster happens. If nothing happens for five years, you'll be well prepared. Start preparing with each pay and don't stop. Every time you go to the store buy something for your preparation. Buy something for your family's survival.
